Modica & Its Chocolate

Modica, in the Ragusa hills of south-east Sicily, is a UNESCO-listed baroque town spilling down two steep ridges above a deep valley, and the home of one of Italy's most distinctive food traditions: Cioccolato di Modica, a chocolate made by a cold-worked method introduced under Spanish rule and ultimately traced to Aztec technique. The cacao is worked at low temperature so the sugar never fully dissolves, giving the finished bars their signature grainy crunch and pure, intense flavour, often scented with cinnamon, vanilla, chilli, or citrus. The town wears its baroque grandeur on the hillsides: the monumental church of San Giorgio, reached up a long staircase, and the lower San Pietro both rank among Sicily's finest, while the historic upper and lower towns, Modica Alta and Modica Bassa, are linked by stepped alleys and the long main street, Corso Umberto I, where the chocolate shops cluster. Visitors can tour Antica Dolceria Bonajuto, the oldest chocolate house in Sicily, founded in 1880, and sample the cold-process bars, or trace the story at the chocolate museum. A visit of two to three hours allows for the main churches, a wander through the alleys, and plenty of tasting. The town climbs steeply, so comfortable shoes help, and the views back across the rooftops from Modica Alta reward the effort. Mornings are cooler for the climbs and quieter in the shops; afternoons warm the golden stone for photography. In December the ChocoModica festival fills the streets with stalls and tastings. Modica makes an easy pairing with nearby Ragusa and Scicli in this corner of the Sicilian province of Ragusa.